Gathering Allies
One of the most common complaints I hear from preppers is the
difficulty in finding like-minded folks in their area. They feel as
though they are lone voices in the wind and struggle to locate anyone
nearby who shares their concerns about the future. See, here’s the
thing. Let’s reverse the question for a second and look at it like this
– how many people in your area know you are a prepper? Not too many,
I’d reckon. And that’s probably by design, isn’t it? The rules of
OPSEC dictate to keep your trap shut and not go around blabbering to
people how you have umpteen cases of toilet paper and hundreds of
gallons of water stored in the basement. This makes perfect sense.
However, the reason you are finding it difficult to find preppers in
your area is because they are all doing the same thing! They are
keeping their heads down and their mouths shut, just like you. The
result is, there could be a roomful of preppers and none of them are
aware of it, each thinking everyone else would think they are nuts if
they found out.
If there will be one silver lining in the cloud of a post-collapse
world, it will be that you no longer will need to try and convince
potential allies that they should prepare for the worst. Gone, for the
most part, will be endless debates about whether preppers are nut jobs
or just forward thinkers. Most people will readily admit that there is
strength in numbers. Therefore, it shouldn’t take too much conversation
to convince those survivors around you that you will all benefit by
banding together and watching each others’ backs.
Of course, the first people you’d probably consider for a mutual aid
agreement would be your immediate neighbors. In an urban environment,
this may mean all of the survivors who live in your building and perhaps
neighboring buildings. This could possibly amount to several dozen
people or more. Out in the sticks, the options are going to be a bit
more scarce in many places. While that will result in less mouths
needing sustenance, it will also mean fewer hands available to work
gardens and such.
Either way though, your neighbors are already in a position to
provide extra eyes and ears. They already know the area and are likely
to be able to spot strangers easily. If you’ve not done so already,
make a point of getting to know your neighbors well. Invite them over
for a BBQ in the summer and exchange cookies in December. Organize a
floor party in your apartment building. Compliment the owner of the
condo next door on their flower boxes. In today’s society, we’ve become
rather insular and closed off in our daily lives. This will be nothing
but a hindrance in the future.

Everyone Has Value
Don’t ever overlook a potential ally because of their physical
condition, infirmities, or other negatively perceived attributes. The
90 year old widow who can hardly walk due to arthritis may have spent
several decades of her life growing gardens and can share that knowledge
with you. She may also have been the resident busybody and can tell
you at a glance who lives where, how long they’ve lived there, what they
do for a living, and who has been shacking up with them. The
wheelchair bound guy may be an excellent shot with a hunting rifle and
would make one dandy of a sniper. Just be sure to brace his wheelchair
before handing him the rifle. Failure to do so might result in
something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon. The asthmatic teenager might
never win a foot race but has enough gadget know how to cobble together
one heck of a communications system and could man it regularly.
There is a saying that war makes for strange bedfellows. Make no
mistake, for at least a period of time following a collapse, it will be
as though you are at war with the world at large. Out of necessity, you
may find yourself teaming up with neighbors you dislike. As the
proverb goes, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Survival Weekly recommended BUY.

Prepper's Home Defense: Security Strategies to Protect Your Family by Any Means NecessaryBy Jim Cobb

Product Description

DETER . DELAY. DEFEND!
Does your disaster
preparation plan include security measures? When civilization fails and
the desperate masses begin looting, they will come for your food, water
and life-sustaining supplies. This book shows you how to implement a
complete plan for operational security and physical defense, including:• Perimeter Security Systems and Traps• House Fortifications and Safe Rooms• Secured and Hidden Storage• Firearms and Defensive Combat Techniques• Gathering Intelligence and Forming Alliances

Product Details

Published on: 2012-12-18

Original language:
English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

224 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Jim Cobb is a disaster readiness expert. He has been a prepper for most
of his life and has worked almost twenty years in the security
management and investigation fields. Jim writes The Frugal Prepper
column in Survivalist Magazine as well as a daily blog for
SurvivalGear.com. Jim's primary home online is found at
SurvivalWeekly.com. He lives and works in the Upper Midwest, sequestered
in a fortified bunker with his lovely wife and their three kids.